Indonesia is working with Indian authorities to bring home five baby orangutans found without their mothers in a forest in eastern India, as investigators examine whether the critically endangered animals were trafficked across borders.
Rangers discovered the young apes during a patrol in Odisha state's Balasore district. The animals, estimated to be about 18 months old, appeared healthy and were transferred to a zoo for care. Indonesian forestry officials said their appearance suggested they could be Sumatran orangutans, although DNA testing will be needed to establish their origin.
Orangutans live naturally only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Their presence in an Indian forest therefore immediately raised suspicions of illegal wildlife trafficking. Indonesian officials have opened communication with the Indian government through India's embassy in Jakarta and formally requested that the animals be handed over.
The case is especially urgent because orangutan infants depend on their mothers for unusually long periods. Young Sumatran orangutans are generally not weaned until around seven years of age, according to conservation assessments cited by Indonesian officials. At only a fraction of that age, the rescued animals will need specialist care and rehabilitation before any possible return to a protected habitat.
Jakarta is also consulting conservation organisations about the practical work of rehabilitating the five youngsters. Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder of the Orangutan Information Centre, supported their return and argued that repatriation should take priority. The DNA analysis would help authorities identify the animals' population and determine the most appropriate long-term care.
Sumatran orangutans are listed as critically endangered. The most recent population estimate cited in the report, dating from 2016, put their number at slightly more than 13,500. Habitat loss and fragmentation caused by human encroachment, alongside illegal hunting and wildlife trade, continue to threaten the species. The Tapanuli orangutan, another Sumatran species, is even rarer, with fewer than 800 believed to remain in the wild.
The rescue also comes while fires have placed additional pressure on orangutans elsewhere in Indonesia. In West Kalimantan on Borneo, at least 15 animals have reportedly been rescued from flames and haze since July, including individuals stranded in plantations after fire cut routes back to forest.
For investigators, the immediate question is how five dependent infants travelled from their native range to Odisha. Establishing that route could identify the trafficking network involved and reveal whether other animals remain at risk. For conservation teams, the priority is keeping the rescued orangutans healthy while Indonesia and India settle the legal and logistical steps needed for their return.
